Wallboard containing a phenol formaldehyde resin and cattail fibers



Patented Sept. 9, 1952 WALLBOARD CONTAINING A PHENOL FORMALDEHYDE RESIN AND CAT- 'rAn. FIBERS Estelle M. S. Nuncio, New Orleans, La.

No Drawing.

This invention relates to a composition wallboard and efiicient process of producing the same.

The primary object of this invention is to produce a wallboard which is light in weight, waterproof, has an attractive marble-like appearance, and possesses excellent heat and sound insulating properties.

A further important object of this invention is to provide a process of preparing the wallboard composition as described hereinabove, which process is eificient, easy to carry out, and economical in that it does not require special apparatus and special conditions of temperature and pressure to produce the finished molded product. i V

The present composition comprises fibers dispersed and embedded in a phenolic casting resin which is capable of setting rigidly in a relatively short time at temperatures approximating customary room temperature. While different kinds of fibers may be incorporated in the phenolic resins, such as ramie, sugar cane waste, wild cat fibers, ground nut shells, and the like, it has been found that the incorporation of cattail fibers produces a wallboard composition having special properties. Cattail is a tall marsh plant of the genus Typha, otherwise known as reed mace, the most common species of which is Typha Zatifolz'a. This plant includes fibers and associated seeds loosely supported upon stems, the fibers having the following ingredients in percentage by weight: 3.85% ether extract (fat and cutin), 0.46% ash, 19.16% lignin, and 76.53% cellulose and hemi-cellulose by difference. These fibers are silky, water resistant, very light, have been found to have excellent insulating properties both with regard to heat and sound, require no preliminary grinding or cutting, and when incorporated with the quick, low temperature setting phenolic resins, mold to a very attractive marble-like appearance.

A number of diiferent kinds of quick-setting phenolic resins may be employed as the matrix for dispersing and holding cattail fibers which will be described hereinafter. Plyophen Casting Resin 5023, produced by the Reichhold Chemicals, Inc. is the preferred plastic. This is a phenol-formaldehyde type resin which is compounded with an alkaline catalyst, the resin being a viscous liquid at room temperatures. When an acidic catalyst, such as 5023-A in which the active ingredient is a mineral acid produced by Reichhold Chemicals, Inc., is added to the resin, an acid-alkaline reaction will occur which is ex- Application February 14, 1951, Serial No. 210,993

4, Claims. (01. zen-17.2)

othermic raising the temperature of the resin and allowing the same to set rapidly in an air current at room temperatures of F. or move without the necessity of employing superatmospheric pressures for the molding. Variousproportions of the acidic catalyst can be added to the resin depending upon the thickness of the casting desired and after the acidic catalyst has been added 'to the resin, the mixture shouldb transferred within a relatively short time toaf proper mold to avoid excessive hardeningbefor'e' transfer. This Plyophen Resin 5023 is compatible with various dyes to produce difierent colors and is also compatible with the cattail fibers.

Another phenolic resin which can be used as a matrix'for the cattail fibers is P-398, produced by the Reichhold Chemicals, Inc. This is known as a water-soluble resin glue consisting of phenolformaldehyde resin and an alkaline catalyst which is liquid at room temperatures. Itconamen-42% by weight of non-vo1atiles,contains water as the only volatile ingredient, has a viscosity of 225-500 centipoises, and a specific gravity of "1171-1191. While it, is compatible with cattail fibers and doesnot require superatmospheric pressure for the setting and the molding of the same, it has the disadvantage over the Plyophen Resin 5023 in that it sets rapidly at temperatures higher than the setting temperatures of the Plyophen Resin 5023. P-398 sets and hardens in 14 minutes at a platen temperature of 220 F.

Yet another phenolic resin which may be used as a matrix for incorporating the cattail fibers is Plyophen 6000, a resorcinol-formaldehyde resin made with an alkaline catalyst produced by the Reichhold Chemicals, Inc. This is a phenolic adhesive which contains 58-62% by weight of volatiles, contains water-ethanol as the volatile ingredients, has a viscosity of -400 centipoises, and a specific gravity of 1125-1135. In order to render this phenolic resin quick setting at rela- OFFICE 3 i sound insulation comprises 100-175 lbs. of the phenolic resin and 200-300 of the cattail fibers. In general, the process of producing the present wallboard composition is carried by pouring the resin into a-tank equipped with a suitable agitator. The catalyst to render the resin quick setting at: relativelmlow temperatures is then added slowly-'to the resin and agitated-therewithto obtain proper intermixture and reaction between the resin and the catalyst and also to dis with the resin matrix cannot be excessive since substantial hardening may set in While the composition is still in the mixing tank. The viscous mixture is then transferred or poured into suitable molds which are kept in a room having a slow air circulation maintained at a temperature of approximately; 75-8091? The-composition sets and hardensin the molds within arelatively short sipate the heat produced in the. reaction. The; cattail fibers are then blowneinto thermixtusev slowly and with agitation and the mixture and agitation is continued until proper dispersal of the fibers and the resin matrix is-olota-ined butthe agitation and mixing is limitedlinvtimeetot prevent substantial setting and hardening oflgthe" composition in the tank. Thereafter, the mixture is transferred to suitable molds kept in*a=:-room* where there is slow air circulation maintained at a an examplerillustratingetlie mann n n w h h z prpflessvisscanriedzout:

mixture land slowagitation: isecontinued for approximately 10 minutes. or. thatelengthof time necessary targ t proper dispersal of theefibersvin the resin matrim Theltimeaofimixing the:fibers time and requires no superatmospheric pressures ltoiobtain the proper rigid structure.

While a preferred embodiment of the composition -Wand; process has been described herein above-,-:;itL-will;be ;obvious to those skilled in the art that minor variations may be made both in the compositionand the process without departingtfromthespi-ritof the invention and the scope ofsthe-zappended claims. Having described the invention, what is claimed asmew-"is 1. A wallboard composition comprising cattail fibers embeddedrin .a fastsettingephenoleformaldhldearesin; I

2. The combination of claim 1, wherein 200.5300,

3; Aeuwallboard composition.comprisingpattail fibers-1 embedded inaa;phenolwformaldehyde resin containing ;;a catalyst rendering; the ,resinrfast: setting at room temperatures 4. 1 A;1Wa|1l board v. composition comprising cattail.;fibers.- embedded inla fastzsetting; resin :ifrom the group ponsistingofphenol-.formaldehyde and resorcinol-formaldehyde..

ESTELLE-i: S5

REFERENGES CITED;

The following references are of record'in' the. fileof this patent:

UNITEDISTATESPATENTST Name? Date: Vogt'" Jnne.-.l8,-;l929

FOREIGN "PATENTS" Number, Country- Date 561,081; Great Britaini, -..Mayl,4; 1944 Number: 

4. A WALL BOARD COMPOSITION COMPRISING CATTAIL FIBERS EMBEDDED IN A FAST SETTING RESIN FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF PHENOL-FORMALDEHYDE AND RESORCINOL-FORMALDEHYDE. 